TREND REPORTS THE TOP 20 STYLE LESSONS FROM 2012

With 2012 almost at a close, now's the time to look back on the top style lessons to take away from a year's worth of ELLE.

JANUARY 2012

There's something still very much now about '60s era shapes, like the Victoria Victoria Beckham dresses shot in ELLE's January issue. We second that for the iconic silhouettes of the '50s. Donna Karan's glamorous hourglass shape screams siren and would look appropriate on any of today's startlets.

FEBRUARY 2012

Retro essentials like the car coat, midi skirt, and super structured bustier still matter for spring. A mix of Marni, Bottega Veneta, Christopher Kane, Alberta Ferretti, and more achieve the style here.

Lady-like styling is never a wrong choice. ELLE's February issue shows that prim and proper still feel current when done by forever-chic labels like Dior, Emporio Armani, and Jason Wu.

MARCH 2012

Fashion's still fun, with cheeky prints like the retro Prada cars shot for ELLE's March issue serving as the perfect reminder.

APRIL 2012

The marriage of fairytale fantasy and architectural modernism is a gorgeous sight to behold. Bold curves lend this frilly, ultra-feminine Meadham Kirchhoff dress a strong vibe.

MAY 2012

Modern American prep is achieved with spot-on tailoring, skinny-sleeved blazers, and a button-up done to the throat. Bottega Veneta, Carven, and Fendi combine for the win in the May issue.

Minimalism is perpetually refreshing to a sometimes over-stimulated fashion palette. Add in a sheer shirt, like this T by Alexander Wang silk pick, and the often androgynous style gets sexier.

JUNE 2012

Try setting the busy bikini aside for something with more elegance. Basic colors and extra coverage, from American Apparel and Volcom, still look sexy inELLE's June issue.

The gym is in. Sportswear influences things literally, with court-ready jerseys and wedge sneakers popping up everywhere (both Isabel Marant here and styled with Salvatore Ferragamo and Chanel).

JULY 2012

You don't have to shop vintage to achieve the same look, as evidenced by this very '20s silk georgette dress from Chloé.

Leather looks strong, sexy, and super stylish worn everywhere and every way. The combination of Calvin Klein, Bottega Veneta, and Alexander Wang seen on July's pages proved it.

AUGUST 2012

Ornate lovers, rejoice: You can embellish anything. The fall collections saw a whole slew of styles paraded out with extra beads and sequins, like these Oscar de la Renta pieces.

It's time to have fun with your sweaters. The wardrobe basics are anything but when done with cheeky accents like Céline's swipe of fur.

SEPTEMBER 2012

Mimic the power-suits of decades past with impeccably tailored pieces in the same color palette, perfected inELLE's September issue courtesy of Proenza Schouler.

Anyone still afraid of mixing prints should relax and proceed. The quirky-cool effect, seen here with a mix of Proenza Schouler, Missoni, and Miu Miu, is completely worth it.

OCTOBER 2012

Done in midnight hues, lacy florals quickly go from girly to gothic. This velvet Oscar de la Renta gown is fit for a heroine of the tragic variety.

Texture play adds instant intrigue to any ensemble. The marriage of Valentino's Chantilly lace dress and H&M's nubby cardigan, with intricate Falke tights to boot, makes for a fascinating look.

NOVEMBER 2012

The masculine slouch perfected in Annie Hall can still be devastating. Build the look out with a matching set or separate finds, as styled on November pages with Donna Karan and 3.1 Phillip Lim.

DECEMBER 2012

Any and every piece already hanging in your closet can be refreshed and made to feel new with the addition of a statement necklace, like these layered Dannijo and Fallon Jewelry stunners.

SPRING STRIPES TO BUY NOW

This season's biggest trends included a heavy dose of stripes. Thick or thin, bright or basic, these are the shirts, dresses, skirts, pants, and accessories we recommend shopping. 

Masti by Rang Ja

Rang Ja spring collection is really appreciable as they depict the real Pakistani culture. When other famous brands are moving towards western side Rang Ja focuses mainly on Pakistani Culture. Colourful shirts with applic, patch work, ajrak, sindhi karhai is really what we call traditional fashion.

Trucker Hats Come Back

That's right, the simple style of a trucker's hat is hitting the highest quality fashion stores and both the male and the female young people just cannot get enough! The style started coming back mostly within the past year or so, and it is especially common amoung the so called "skater" or punk teenagers. Some of the most popular brands that have been known to come out with a trucker style hat are: Von Dutch, Roxy, O'Neil, and Etnies. The new hat is a trendy must have and is stylish in many ways! 

Fashion Roses tutorial

Given I'm on a crafting spree and in between pretty much farigh... I figured I'd post more tutorials. 

So now that we're back to it. I'm going to share paper roses... well rather, how to make them :) There are two varieties, both look beautiful. The difference is one looks a little different and is done with a paper punch and crazy scissors, the other one is pretty basic, and I think most of you reading probably want to start off with something that doesn't require an imported paper punch. :) 

These are the roses I did for my Print Making Minor in University. I did them on boxboard, newsprint and drawing sheets... some were even newspapers! All had impressions of my prints.

So let's get to it now!

You're going to need:

scissors

paper... printed ones give amazing effects!

glue

a pencil

I'd have done a video tutorial, but i haven't the tripod.. mine broke :(

I had this paper left over from the other day, so I decided to make the rose out of it.

Draw a 5 pointed flower like this... it really does not have to be perfect. :) Ideal size would be 2 or 2.5 inches. You can go larger or smaller :)

Fold your paper in 3 panels, so you get 3 flowers when you cut one out. Being a little time saver here.

I'll be erasing these pencil marks.

See.. 3 flowers.

There they are.

You're going to slit down between two petals on the first flower.

One the second and third flower, you'll cut one petal, and two petals as show above.

Now you pull out the uhu.. The flower with the slit, add a drop of glue to one petal, and paste the other over it. 

You'll get something like that.

Do the same for the next few pieces, glue one petal over another.

For the two petal cut out, just roll it like you would for a cone... adhere on the corner edge.

You'll get something like this.

To achieve the 'rose' petal feel, I curl my petals under. Super easy to do, just use your fingers to bend the petal outward and under.

Those are your petals forming into the rose bud...

Once you've done this for all 5 pieces, you can start stacking them for your rose.

Just add a spec of glue in the center on each layer.

Now two of them are going to be super narrow and long, you can snip those. :)

Once they're all on there... you'll have something like this :)

I distressed mine... 

Wasn't that a breeze? Leave your comments below, would love to have some feedback, especially if you try these for yourself :)